Are you interested in trekking Sapa but still wonder “Is Sapa trekking difficult ?”. If this is your first time experiencing Sapa Vietnam, then below is some information to answer this question.
When should I get to Sapa?
Sapa trekking trip will be more complete if you refer to the right travel time in advance. The land of fog is inherently a place with a temperate climate and a humid subtropical climate. Sapa is quite cool in summer while winter is cold. According to many people’s Sapa trekking experience, the ideal time to explore is around:
- From September to November is the best time to go trekking in Sapa: ripe rice season, beautiful cloud hunting opportunities, moderate cold weather and no rain.
- From January to March: the season of wildflowers blooms, the weather is cold, there are many festivals taking place.
Besides, the summer months (May – August) are considered the rainy season here, so the road is quite slippery. Those who intend to go trekking at this time should reconsider because the journey can be more difficult and also more dangerous.
Transportations to get Sapa
From Hanoi, you can choose 2 popular ways to travel to Sapa town, which is the choice of taking a bus or traveling by train. To help you have a more objective view, in today’s article I will compare these 2 conversion methods:
By train
- The price will be higher than traveling by bus
- Clean, quiet and good service
- You can choose from a comfortable chair or bed
- Comfortable space, spacious enough
- The sound of the tracks will sometimes wake you up at night.
- After arriving at Lao Cai station, you will have to travel by bus to reach Sapa town
- Travel time is about 7-9 hours
By bus
- Fares are much cheaper than trains
- You can choose between a seat or a sleeper car
- However, you will not be able to lie down comfortably so it will be more difficult to sleep when traveling by bus
- No restrooms (cars will stop at rest stops along the way)
- Travel time only takes about 5-6 hours
Sapa trekking guide
To have a safe Sapa trekking trip, you must prepare the necessary items but not bring too much. Because the luggage is too heavy, it will make your trekking journey more tiring and more difficult. Here are some essential items that you can refer to for your upcoming trekking trip:
Money and necessary documents
Before each trip, you always have to pay attention to the money for the related documents. Because this is the essential element when you want to go to a new land. You need to refer to the experience of going to Sapa of those who went before to estimate the cost.
That cost will include a bus ticket to Sapa, hotel room rental, motorbike rental (if any), expenses for sightseeing and entertainment, and entertainment shopping,… You have a lot of costs that you need to come during your trip to Sapa, so plan carefully to make sure the money you bring with you and don’t waste it.
Normally, people going to Sapa often bring about 4 to 5 million for 3 days to explore this highland town. Of course, you also need to have some money in your bank account just in case. Careful planning for the trip also helps you not to be in a hurry, being able to visit all the beautiful places without spending the right amount of money.
Going to Sapa, so staying in any hotel is something you need to pay attention to before coming here. Sapa has many resorts, hotels, motels, homestays from affordable to high-class with many different prices for you to choose from. You should read hotel reviews of guests who have stayed, book at least 1 week in advance to ensure your accommodation.
Sapa tourist map
For those of you who come to Sapa for the first time, there are certainly many surprises, a map of Sapa Lao Cai is very necessary. You can buy a paper map to know where the most famous places in Sapa are and decide where to go first, where to go later.
Travel backpack
Traveling to Sapa will require you to walk a lot, so a lightweight travel backpack will be suitable for you to carry. Departing from Hanoi, you can put your luggage in a suitcase or a large backpack. But when visiting other tourist attractions, keep the necessary items in a bag or mini backpack.
Some medicines
Wherever you travel, it’s important to carry some essential medications with you. We will note some medicines you need to bring when traveling to Sapa:
+ Digestive medicine, allergy
+ Painkiller
+ Medicine for flu, runny nose
+ Personal first aid kit or convenient bandana
+ Mosquito repellent spray
Umbrella/ raincoat
Sapa weather is not always sunny and dry. Especially if you come to Sapa around July, August, you can catch sudden rains in the Northwest mountains. So remember to bring a raincoat, umbrella (umbrella) to prevent Sapa weather.
Electronic device
What to prepare to go to Sapa? When it comes to electronics, you probably think of mobile phones, our inseparable object. The phone is increasingly important, especially when traveling. If you don’t have a camera, you will probably take pictures with your phone.
Therefore, you should bring a backup charger to be able to comfortably take pictures in Sapa. According to the schedule, if you spend a whole day exploring tourist attractions, you will not have a place to plug in the charger to continue using your phone to take pictures.
Some prominent Sapa trekking routes (From easy to difficult)
Sapa – Cat Cat village – Sin Chai village
Mining route: Sapa – Cat Cat village – Sin Chai village – Sapa
Time: Sapa 1 day trek.
Distance traveled: 7km.
Level: Easy.
Specifically, from the center of Sapa (ancient church), trekkers can go to Cat Cat village, about 2.2km away. After arriving, you will have to buy an entrance ticket and then walk to visit (the main route is stairs). Then from Cat Cat village, follow the direction of Muong Hoa valley 3km to Sin Chai village. This village has not been known and exploited as much as Cat Cat, so it is still quite wild.
In Sin Chai, you can admire the traditional wooden houses built from Po mu tree wood. Continuing on the way we will return to the center of Sapa town, indeed this road is quite easy to go and suitable for first time trekking right?
Sapa – Love Waterfall – Silver Waterfall – Y Linh Ho – Ta Van
Mining route: Tram Ton – Love Waterfall – Silver Waterfall – Cat Cat – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van – Sapa
Time: 2 days and 1 night.
Distance: 20 – 30 km.
Level: Moderate.
Specifically, on the first day, you will move from Tram Ton to Love Waterfall, Silver Waterfall and then stay at a homestay. Around 9:30, the trekkers start riding motorbikes to Ton station, moving about 1.1km along the yellow river to Love Waterfall. After completing the sightseeing process, you can move to Silver Waterfall by motorbike, then from Silver Waterfall go down Muong Hoa valley to Sin Chai where the Black H’Mong live. Here you will rest, have lunch, move to the village homestay and stay overnight.
The second day after waking up early for breakfast, we prepare our things to go back to the town center. According to Sapa trekking experience, on the way, we will visit Y Linh Ho and Ta Van village. There will be some twists and turns on the road, but it’s not too difficult if you have a hard handlebar!
Sapa – Ta Phin – Ta Giang Phin
Mining route: Suoi Ho – Ma Tra – Ta Phin – Phin Ho – Lu Khau – Suoi Thau – Kim Ngan – Ta Giang Phinh
Time: 3 days 2 nights.
Distance: 43km.
Level: Hard.
The first day we moved from Sapa church to Ma Tra village, on the way we also saw the picturesque terraced fields. You can stop to rest and have a meal in Ma Tra village before going to Ta Phin. The second day we continue to Phin Ho village, the trip lasts about 2.5 hours and passes through hills, terraced fields, valleys and verdant forests.
Arrive where you have lunch, rest and then continue downhill through the rice fields to Lu Khau village, remember to visit the salmon farm here. Finally, continue through the asphalt road to Suoi Thau village and stay at the homestay here. On the last day, we take a tour around Suoi Thau and discover the daily life of the Red Dao people.
Above are some tour Sapa review, if you cannot experience it yourself, you can also book trekking tours that are scheduled and accompanied by guides and porters. Let the trip to explore this foggy land be more meaningful when you can see firsthand the typical highland fields and culture of the ethnic people!
If you are interested in the Sapa trekking tour from Hanoi, please contact us for more information!
